The tested cables are interesting from a cognitive point of view. 7N-DA5100 costs almost as much as the second cable-7N-DA2100. The two differ, however, in their construction. They are both made of copper with a purity 7N (99,99999%), MEXCEL, meaning a tape, covered with ultra-thin dielectric coating (polyimide) with an extremely smooth surface. Normally covering cables is conducted so, that the surface is not smooth, because after every piece there are thickenings. This causes the wire not have permanent parameters on its entire length. The only supplier of this type of cable is the company Mitsubishi, which is the parent company of AcroJapan, the owner of the brand Acrolink. Those cables are however, a different construction. 7N-DA5100 is a coaxial cable with two screens – one of the MEXCEL 7N copper and the second with silver-plated 4N copper. In turn, 7N-DA2100 has two cores, individually shielded, with braid 7N MEXCEL ribbons and jointly shielded with silver-plated 4N copper. The wires in the first are of greater diameter and in the second smaller – 0.58mm2 vs. 0.26mm. DA5100 is available as a balanced and unbalanced version, as well as a digital RCA cable and AES/EBU. DA2100 is only available as an unbalanced RCA and digital RCA and BNC cable
We tested before:
SOUND
Recordings used during the test (a selection):
- Audio Accesory - T-TOC Records High Quality Data Master Comparison, TDVD-0002, DVD-R, ripy 16/44,1, 24/96, 24/192 FLAC.
- Stereo Sound Reference Record. Jazz&Vocal, Stereo Sound, SSRR4, SACD/CD.
- Stereo Sound Reference Record. Popular Selection, Stereo Sound, SSRR5, SACD/CD.
- Brian Eno, Craft On A Milk Sea, Warp Records, FLAC 24/44,1.
- Carmen McReae, Book of Ballads, Kapp Records/Universal Music Japan, UCCU-9634, SHM-CD.
- Depeche Mode, Personal Jesus, Sire/Reprise 21328-2, MS CD.
- George Michael, Faith, Epic/Sony Music, 7753020, Special Edition 2 x CD+DVD.
- John Lennon, Imagine, Capitol/Mobile Fidelity, UDCD 759, gold-CD.
- Laurie Anderson, Homeland, Nonesuch, 524055-2, CD+DVD.
- Pat Martino, East!, Prestige/Mobile Fidelity, UDSACD 2018, SACD/CD.
- Radiohead, The King of Limbs, Ticker Tape Ltd., TICK-001CDJ, Blu-spec CD.
- R-men, I thought about you, T-TOC Records, MCDR3002, CD-RIIα.
- Suzanne Vega, Close-Up. Vol 1, Love Songs, Amanuensis Productions/Cooking Vinyl, COOKCD521, CD.
Japanese versions of the disc are available on CD Japan.
7N-DA5100
I started the listening session with the more expensive cable. The 7N-DA5100 is twice cheaper than the reference system interconnect 7N-DA6300 Mexcel I am using, and although it's the same series Mexcel, it differs from it in some details. This change could be heard immediately. The DA5100 is less saturated, has a lower resolution and is not as palpable as the DA6300. The sound is smaller and there is less of everything in it. It's just that almost every cable compared to the DA6300, whatever its price, turns out quite miserable, at least in my system (and Janusz’ system - see our KSS meetings).
When looked at individually the 7N-DA5100 shows its good side. Having compared it with the top of the line Acrolink cable, we have its shortcomings in the back of our heads, and they will surface from time to time. However, despite such a strong "pressure" we cannot deny, that it is a really fair, reliable interconnect.
One of its features is open sound. Not as open and not so developed in the edges of the sound spectrum, as the "6300", but compared to other cables from the vicinity of 10 000zł and above, it is its "openness" that catches our attention. Interestingly, such presentation will fit in many systems better than the sound of the DA6300. The latter is fairly uncompromising, and if somewhere in the system there is slightly accentuated treble, it will not be masked, not rounded. DA5100 cable is also not a "masking" kind, but since the top is less expanded, not so ultra-spacious, it is also more forgiving. This is important remark, because it is not always the case that the most expensive and objectively the best cable, is always the best solution. The system is a holistic unity, a synergistic mechanism in which everything has to work together. If it has a problem, then – if we do not exchange anything - we need to manage the selection of accessories to improve things somehow. From the purist standpoint this is obviously an error, because we should not hide the flaws but them with roots, but from the pragmatic perspective, a normal person, who cannot change the whole system every time – this is a normal behavior.
The 7N-DA5100 is an extremely smooth sounding cable. It is not warmed, this is not a sound similar to the Tara Labs The 0.8 or The Zero. It resembles more what Accuphase CD players do, like for example the DP-510. This is in general a very similar sound. It is very solid, well tempered, very well tonally balanced, its dynamics is slightly averaged and the edges of the sound spectrum as not as strong, as with the reference cable. Despite that we perceive the sound as reliable. I know, that anthropomorphism is not regarded well, but I think, that only in this way we can describe the deeper layers, not only the external ones.
So – it is a very solid cable. Its upper midrange is slightly harder than that what is below, and it makes the sound open and very carrying. Yet we never deal with stronger sibilants, whistling or brightness. I would even say, that the treble is slightly softer than the midrange, as is lower bass. This is why this cable will fit best into systems, which have problems with the treble and which react badly to warm cables. Acrolink will help them.
The Japanese cable handles placing elements in time and space very well. I mean that there is no washing out of the elements, they are also not faded into the background. Because the Acrolink shows the quality of the recordings very faithfully. If, like on Faith George Michael, the sound is located mostly in the middle, with the effects jumping out to the sides from time to time, then it is shown as such, without blowing it up. The same thing – when, like on the disc Close Up Susanne Vega, the vocal is big, it can be heard, that it was recording from a closely placed microphone, then it does not get smaller. But the Acrolink does not make problems of that, it does not show that as a problem, it just tries to reproduce what was recorded on the disc. With both disc we can hear, that the cable has a tendency to show the events with a certain distance, as if we would move from the first row to the middle of the room. This is a sound with a little distance.
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A very, very solid sound, maybe not as exciting as from other cables for comparable money, or even cheaper, but repeatable, even and normal. This is a very good cable, which can be used to build a system around it not having to think, what it introduces. Because it is evident, that it introduces changes, but they are so complexly stacked, so to say, so coherent, that those are not underlined, and no flaw of the system will be exaggerated. This is not a flawless cable, but its shortcomings are placed in such a way, that it will fit in medium priced and very expensive systems.
7N-DA2100
This cable is only slightly cheaper than the previous one. Keeping two cables with almost the same price in the catalog can be the result – as I understand – from their different target (sound). The differences in construction are significant, what suggests different sound.
And the differences are fascinating. The DA2100 is a more brilliant cable, I could even say “showy”. And probably it will seem more in place in most systems. Because it is more dynamic and has more pace than the D5100. Its upper bass is stronger and more plucky. This results in better pace. But the lower bass is shallower than with the D5100. Maybe this difference is not so big, but the upper bass in the “2100” is so strong, that that what’s below seems softer. Also the treble is stronger in the DA2100. This is why the sound is so showy – this is no brightening, but adding something to the sound, what makes us sit down and listen to discs with curiosity. Sibilants are normal, this is no underlining of any part of the sound spectrum, but the whole treble sounds in an open and dynamic way. This is why everything seems more attractive, nicer with this cable.
But the restraint, quietness of the DA5100 is not there. This is not such well balanced, so deep sound. The 7N-DA5100 seems to fit better in systems, that do not need any bettering, while the 7N-DA2100 will help to bring some of the languid systems to life, without brightening the sound and without hardening it. Yes – the DA2100 does not harden the upper midrange, what could be heard with the DA5100 sometimes. I am not sure, if this will be audible with a tube amplifier having a warm sound, but in my ultra-resolving system it was sometimes noticeable. I do not think, that this is a problem, it was not for me, but because we are talking here about cables, being a kind of “correction” (regardless of how bad it sounds, and how far from purism we get), even small changes can be the “to be or not to be” for a given system. And so – the DA2100, despite having a stronger treble, plays this range, as well as the midrange, softer and nicer than the DA5100.
Conclusion
And this is how they sound. Choice is the key word here, as always. I liked the 7N-DA5100 better, but not because the 7N-2100 is worse, but because it sounded better in my system and fits my taste better. But it is not hard to think about systems, where it will be exactly the opposite. Regardless of what we choose, Acrolink will be a good, solid choice. Those are expensive cables, made by engineers and verified by music lovers. This is high-end…
DESCRIPTION
7N-DA5100 MEXCEL
This cable uses Mexcel conductors, separate wires covered with polyolefin enamel in a special process designed by its manufacturer – Mitsubishi. This is a coaxial cable, with a single core, made from seven wires with a diameter of 0.5mm2 each, from stress-free copper with 7N purity, and wound together. The core, around which those are wound, is made from polyethylene tubes. The whole is shielded with a single braid 7N copper shield.
Close attention was paid to eliminate the influence of external vibration on the conductors. Especially for this purpose a revolutionary material was developed for the coating – ultra-dense tungsten granules were combined with amorphous metal and graphite granules in especially chosen proportion. Those elements are combined to make the coat for the cable, characterized with splendid damping characteristics. The shielding layer is made from copper foil and UEW coated copper braid. There is no iron in the plugs, and the central pin is rhodium plated. The external coat is from carbon fiber, what helps to control resonances. Using tubes instead of solid pins improve the response in high frequency range and allow to perfectly match the impedances of the cable and the plugs.
Technical data
Construction: coaxial, with a single core and additional shielding.
Conductors: Mexcel wires from 7N copper with a diameter 0.58mm x7, wound together.
Shield 1 (negative conductor): braid from 7N Mexcel copper.
Shield 2: silver plated 4N copper braid.
7N-2100 MEXCEL
The model 7N-2100 is made using 7N copper (99.99999%). The cable has a balanced construction – two cores and two shields. The conductors are wound 7N Mexcel wires, with a diameter of 0.26mm each. The shield of each of the conductors is made from braid 7N copper, and the external shield from silver plated 4N copper, isolated with polyurethane.
Technical data
Construction: two cores, two shields
Core: wound 7N Mexcel copper wires, 0.26mm diameter each.
Shield 1: braid 7N copper
Shield 2: silver plated 4N copper
Dielectric: polyurethane
Resistance: 9.2mΩ/m
Capacitance: 60pF/m
Characteristic impedance: 110Ω
External diameter: 10.5 mm.
Distribution in Poland:
Eter Audio
ul. Malborska 24, 30-646 Kraków
tel./fax: 0048 12 425 51 20/30
tel. kom.: 0048 507 011 858
e-mail: robert@nautilus.net.pl
www: www.nautilus.net.pl
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